This project has been funded by BARD (in collaboration with Gene E. Robinson and Mark Band, UIUC)
Research problem. Bees are by far the most important pollinators in agricultural and natural ecosystems. The recent collapse of honey bee populations, together with declines in wild bee (including bumble bee) populations, puts their pollination services under severe threat. A promising strategy for circumventing this risk is the domestication and mass-rearing of non-Apis bees. This approach has been successfully implemented for several bumble bees including Bombus terrestris in Israel, and B. impatiens in the US. In spite of their critical economic and environmental value, little is known about the physiology and molecular biology of bumble bees.
Objectives. 1) develop state-of-the-art functional genomics tools for B. terrestris. These resources will be then used to: 2) characterize genes and molecular pathways that are associated with reproduction, 3) characterize genes and molecular pathways associated with specialization in foraging or nursing activities, and 4) determine the extent to which juvenile hormone is involved in the regulation of reproduction and division of labor.
Methodology. We will use RNA-seq technology to sequence RNA from worker bees performing different tasks and at different reproductive states; quantitative RT-PCR will be used to identify genes and molecular processes in the brain and ovary that are associated with reproduction and division of labor. A protocol for RNAi mediated knockdown of gene expression will be developed for adult B. terrestris, using vitellogenin as a proof of concept, and will be adapted for testing the function of additional key genes. Finally, we will use allatectomy and replacement therapy to test the influence of juvenile hormone on reproduction, division of labor, and brain gene expression. Our proposed research is timely and will benefit from the publication of the B. terrestris genome that is expected to be available next year.
Recent publications stemming from this project.